Many of you will know I like to visit the charities and other organisations we support through either our victims’ commissioning funding, or from our Crime and Disorder Reduction grant scheme. In my opinion, I am totally convinced that Suffolk would be in a very different and worse situation without this tremendous work that all these organisations continue to deliver county wide. As long as I remain Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner my support for victims will definitely continue.
My most recent visit was extremely beneficial and at the same time rather worrying and I will explain why. Earlier this month, I spent the morning at the headquarters of Brave Futures in Ipswich. Brave Futures is a children’s charity working across Norfolk and Suffolk providing specialist support for youngsters up to the age of eighteen years old who have experienced sexual abuse. The charity is based in twelve locations across East Anglia. In summary it’s fair to say that victims of such appalling crimes will often have immense difficulty understanding what has happened to them, let alone rebuilding their lives and becoming contented and fulfilled as they enter adulthood.
Most of us can only try to empathise and imagine what these victims have suffered, but what we can do is to try and help by supporting organisations like Brave Futures who have those specialist capabilities and skills to help. That said, there is a need to put this appalling crime into a proper perspective which is why I am sharing some data below. The numbers are collated from police data and the NSPCC.
Based on evidence there are potentially 31,000 children across Suffolk and Norfolk who either live with, or are at risk of sexual abuse – a horrifyingly high number and this is one of those crimes classed as ”hidden”, and is considerably under-reported. The NSPCC suggests that one in ten children nationally, experience abuse as they grow up. During the last year over 1,400 cases were reported to Suffolk Constabulary, an annual increase of around six percent.
Many of the perpetrators come from within the victim’s close family and in most situations the offenders are known to the children. The sexual exploitation of children has received a high profile recently because of the public enquiries about to take place into grooming gangs. Without prejudicing these enquiries and from what has been reported in the media, it would seem too many public agencies were at best ambivalent and at worst in a state of denial. If so, it is absolutely shocking the children were badly let down by the very organisations that should have been protecting them. I have supported the campaign for a public enquiry with other Police and Crime Commissioner colleagues so that when completed the recommendations ensure such situations never happen again and those responsible are, quite rightly, held to account. Nothing else will do. This work must be expedited immediately – there cannot be any excuses for further delay and procrastination.
The cost to society has been estimated at around £500,000 for each case – consider the costs to policing, courts and the rest of the criminal justice system as well as for social services and health. However, far more important is the human “cost” which must never be ignored. Children are victims and without support of professional practitioners, I suggest too many lives might be ruined or severely compromised for many years.
The victims often suffer from a wide variety of emotional, psychological and physical challenges and trauma as a result of the abuse committed against them, such as self-harm, and substance misuse.
That’s why support for charities like Brave Futures is essential and in 2024 three hundred and fourteen children and young people were supported. On-going care and support can also be provided when children become adults and help is available for parents, siblings and carers.
For the future we must continue to help and support the victims.
Published in East Anglian Daily Times in October 2025